Local mom praised for breastfeeding daughter in public

GILBERT, Ariz. (KSAZ) - A woman eating at a restaurant in Gilbert was brought to tears, after her server left her a very special note.

The waitress wanted to thank the woman for breastfeeding her daughter in the restaurant. The server said she wanted to give this mother some positive support, and show the community how a small act of kindness can make someone's day, and lead to much bigger things.

"I didn't expect any of this," said Erica Chambers. "I just wanted to pat another mom on the back."

At the restaurant Chambers works at, each server gets about three pancakes a day to give away to a customer they see fit, for any reason. On that day, Chambers decided to give one of her pancakes to a fellow mother, now identified as Isabelle Ames.

Ames was eating with her family at the restaurant, when she breast fed her daughter Charlotte. Chambers decided to give a complimentary pancake to Chambers, and left a note that read:

Thank you for breastfeeding here.
Much love and respect. Erica.

"I started crying and gave her a big hug," recounted Ames. "She just told me we have to support each other and have each other's backs."

For Chambers, the issue is personal.

"Being a breastfeeding mom, I know how demanding that can be and how important that can be," said Chambers. "I just have a soft spot for breastfeeding moms."

Both Ames and Chambers said it's sometimes very difficult to breastfeed in public.

"I think it was so important to share, because I've been so worried throughout my breastfeeding experience that someone would have a negative reaction and come up to me," said Ames. "So to have a positive reaction and have that face-to-face was really cool."

"I've been asked to leave establishments or to cover up," said Chambers. "There's nothing wrong with breastfeeding your child in public. All kids need to eat. We all need to eat and there's no difference between someone sitting down here and giving their child a bottle or someone sitting down breastfeeding their child."

Both Ames and Chambers said they hope other moms will see this story, and gain self-confidence and security to breastfeed their children in public, when they see fit.